The annual survey by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) in 2017 found only 34% of youth ages 6 to 12 from homes with $25,000 or less in income played team sports, compared to 69% of youth from $100,000+ homes. Recognizing that sports and physical activity are drivers of both physical, behavioral, and social health, keeping youth actively engaged in sports and physical activity becomes a critical youth development tool.

Recent cutbacks to physical education and recess limit many school’s ability to provide sufficient opportunities for children to be physically active. Subsequently, out of school hours and access to recreational facilities and programing in community are vitally important to their physical activity. In economically disenfranchised communities, safe and convenient access to recreation centers and structured sports programs often represents the only opportunity (beyond school) that many children may have for physical activity.

Ecological models of behavior change indicate that children’s levels of physical activity are often influenced by the dynamic interplay within and among a host of commingling factors, including psychological, interpersonal, environmental and policy factors.

Based on our years of experience serving youth, we acknowledge the importance of offering structured sports and related youth development programs to be culturally responsive and sensitized to youth participation barriers.

The CSPH YES Initiative is a culturally tailored, multi-dimensional project that responds to the sports and physical activity needs of minority youth by strengthening our existing service model, providing opportunities for exposure, and by keeping the complex needs of youth and their families at the center of our programs and services. The CSPH YES Initiative incorporates multiple youth development frameworks and exposes youth to meaningful, supportive youth-adult developmental relationships while celebrating the inherent beauty and strength of the youth and families we serve.